Thread: Crack in foundation

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In my experience, concrete will crack. If it were me, I would write that it is a crack, but unless I found other indications of problems, I would not defer.

As Gunnar said, concrete does two things: 1) it gets hard, 2) it cracks.

Did you tap on the parge coating to see if it was loose? That would be my first guess. Loose areas crack.

Things you can be assured of:

• You will die someday
• You will pay taxes
• Kids cry
• Concete cracks

G

Jeff, your example and question are good support reasons for not giving your report immediately after you finish at the sight. You want to have time to go over all that you've seen and then make a determination if there may be a relationship between the crack and other abnormal issues.

Sometimes a crack is just a crack. Other times, its an opportunity.

sometimes a small crack ain't a bad thang!

Having a crack in the concrete is never a good thing, therefore it must be a bad thing. But having a crack does not, by itself, always mean that a serious problem exist.

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

Having a crack in the concrete is never a good thing, therefore it must be a bad thing. But having a crack does not, by itself, always mean that a serious problem exist.

Huh????
Concrete gets hard, concrete cracks, what is bad about that?

It depends on 'where' the crack is, 'in what' the crack is, and what kind, if any, movement is shown in the crack - vertical displacement, lateral (out-of-plane) displacement, 'V' cracking, separation (where the two piece are separating and the crack is widening), etc. ...

All of the above which show differential movement are not necessarily 'good things'. and are likely indications of 'bad things'. but ...

Concrete cracks, it just does, so not every crack is a 'bad thing'.

Any one remember when a "little crack" and "Bush" were good words?

"Having a crack in the concrete is never a good thing, therefore it must be a bad thing."

"Huh????
Concrete gets hard, concrete cracks, what is bad about that?"

Jerry
Yes, I was being to simplistic.
Yes, as a normal process of concrete curing, some cracks can be expected, not unlike like what was pictured.

My thought is:
There is no such thing as a "small" crack, or a "minor" crack, it is a crack.
Nobody (IMO) wants a crack in their Sheetrock, brick, slab, or foundation,
so, all (again IMO) cracks are bad. Only varying in degree.

How I have reported it is:
There is a crack in the ... (location, size, and description) a crack like this one is not uncommon, and is not likely to be an indication of a serious problem. Should there be a change in the size you should consult with a SE to determine the cause and recommended action needed.

Understand I am not refuting what you say, I'm asking you, is this appropriate?

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

How I have reported it is:
There is a crack in the ... (location, size, and description) a crack like this one is not uncommon, and is not likely to be an indication of a serious problem. Should there be a change in the size you should consult with a SE to determine the cause and recommended action needed.

Understand I am not refuting what you say, I'm asking you, is this appropriate?

Rick,

To me, to say a crack 'is of no concern' (which is what you said at first) and then to follow it with 'but, if you see something happening to it, contact a structural engineer (which is what you said at the end) sounds to me (*me*) like one is hedging bets.

Either it is : a) 'of no concern', or, b) call a structural engineer.

Otherwise, one might as well say something to the effect of: 'yeah, it all looks good, but if you suspect anything is wrong, call a plumber, electrician, roofer, HVAC tech, etc.'

If the HI truly thinks it is nothing, and basically says that, then they should let their bet ride.

If the HI truly thinks something 'might happen in the future where they will try to hang me on it', then take the bet off the table and call for a structural engineer to design appropriate repairs (after disclosing and discussing what one thinks is 'not right' and 'likely to happen' with ones client).

The HI needs to have confidence in their call ... 'Yeah, see that crack? I've seen them thousands of times, which means they are typical, and have never seen a problem with them', then simply list the crack in your report and state that it was discussed with your client as being typical and that you've not yet seen one like that be a problem.

You have now noted it, stated what you think (and what you told your client), and discarded it as a problem - so it does not go in the 'address these itmes' section.

That said, I'd only make note of it (or maybe not, most likely not) and let it go without even covering myself by including anything in the report about what was discussed with the client - too many other, and bigger, fish to fry than worry about that little one burning in the pan.

I have not been inspecting for as long as many of you and have learned much from this site, but I would not get excited about that crack.

As Jerry said, concrete cracks. Of course, every structure is different and has different situations, but I generally recommend that a small crack be monitored unless: there is displacement, it is v-shaped, or it is a horizontal crack of more than 1/8" total width over the course of the wall. For small cracks I recommend that they push (with their finger) a galvanized or zinc washer into the crack as far as they can. If there is continued movement, the washer will get loose and fall back out at which time they should consider having it evaluated.

Originally Posted by Jon Randolph

For small cracks I recommend that they push (with their finger) a galvanized or zinc washer into the crack as far as they can.

In my opinion, if the crack is wide enough to push a washer into it, it is wide enough to call for back up.

Concrete gets hard, concrete cracks ... that does not mean 'concrete moves', which is what had to have happened to be able to push a washer into the crack.

If it has 'moved', that a lot different than just a 'crack'.

This is what I said previously:

"It depends on 'where' the crack is, 'in what' the crack is, and what kind, if any, movement is shown in the crack - vertical displacement, lateral (out-of-plane) displacement, 'V' cracking, separation (where the two piece are separating and the crack is widening), etc. ...

All of the above which show differential movement are not necessarily 'good things'. and are likely indications of 'bad things'. but ...
"

It sure does look like just an ole parge coat crack...

RR

It does not look like an issue to me. If it was a problem I would expect to see the crack moving up into the brickwork.

Personally I would not be alarmed with that crack. It looks to be a crack in the parge coat only (but I don't know that for sure). Like Scott, if the foundation wall itself was cracked I would expect to see the brick veneer cracked above it.

I would probably report the crack and recommend that it be monitored.